Broken Intent
by Brocktree
Summary: A mouse, torn almost completely apart by his past must choose between what is right and what is wrong.


"Hey you ther' wake up!"

I opened my eyes. I was in a dark and damp room, barely my hight, if at all. I could hear the small drip of water coming from somewhere. My vision was blurred but I could see a small fragment of light, protruding from some cracks and the creases in room's door. My head had the worst headache...

"Mousie! 'Waker 'yup!" persisted the annoying male voice.

I managed to stutter, through a parched throat, "W-w-what?"

The voice seemed to be coming from nowhere, "'Hehehe I saw them!"

I sighed, "Saw who?"

"The ones who drug ya into 'yer cell."

I rolled my eyes, even though whoever was addressing me couldn't see it. "Wow..."

The voice wouldn't leave, was it my mind talking to me? "Yes yes, amazing I know yes. Why 'arya 'ere?"

I pondered his question a few moments, why was I here? I didn't remember. All I could recall was me trudging down that snow infested path, on a dark night with a covered moon. I am a wanderer, mostly just traveling from town to town. I want to see the whole world, and it's going to take many seasons to do so. "I 'dunno. I was hit o'er the head."

"He he! The ferret got you!"

"What ferret?" I shot.

"He who knows no boundries! The bloody one! The one who knocked you over 'da head! He has a many titles!"

I sighed yet again, " Well... dammit. Uh, where in the world am I?"

"Yer' in 'is castle! No one has ever escaped!" screamed the voice.

A noise besides us talking came from the hallway, sounding like somebeast walking. Another voice joined ours, " New prisoner eh?"

I answered somewhat unsure, " I... uh...think."

The first voice arose, "Yes he's a prisoner stupid! Why do you ask that when your the cell guard."

The second voice replied, " 'Shuter 'up crazy beast. I don't see how you've lived for so many seasons. Why can't you just rot and die?"

Some of the light seemed to hide as the second beast came close to my door. I heard him fiddling with keys, and a click sound came from the door. It door swung open, revealing the light on the other side door, making me squint. Quickly, the skinny figure I saw at first became fatter and I noticed I was staring at a stoat. He had a very long chain mail, coming from his neck to right above his knees, a pair of green pants, and a crude wooden club with some studded spikes protruding from the sides. He sneered at me distastefully. I must of looked pitiful.

He crossed his arms, "Get up now, before I make you. You don't want me to make you."

Quickly catching his hint, I used the wall to pull myself off of the ground, feeling very weak in the legs, probably from not eating. The floor seemed to be pulling me down, not wanting me to leave. I finally stood erect, using the wall as support.

He chuckled humorlessly, " See that wasn't so hard. Now follow me."

I took a step toward the beast, and nearly tripped in my attempt.

He continued to laugh, "I would expect that from a beast who has gone nearly a week without food. We had to force feed you some."

I glimpsed into his eyes weakly. A week with such little food? I began to follow him, using the wall as my support along the way.

0o0o----

The whole time I had been following him, I was staring at the ground. We had gone up the steps from hell; the hallway, or hellway; some guard tower of crap; the mess hall of doom; and finally some fancy velvet carpet. It was a long, depressing walk as I followed the guard, who didn't even look back to check if I was there. Eventually I saw what we were heading to, two grand double doors, marble. As we approached they seem to open automatically, no beast giving any effort to open it.

The guard addressed me for the last time, "Go, have a seat at table and enjoy yourself. You may eat the food."

My eyes lit up, food! I eyed the inside of the room until I spotted what he was talking about. There in the middle of the room stood a long table, banqueted with fruits of all kind, fish of different categories, and a few flasks of exquisite wine. I sprinted over to the first empty seat I saw, oblivious of my surroundings, and delved into my food, picking one flask and began to scoff the food, randomly.

I was nearly halfway done with the meal when a raspy voice came out of nowhere, "Hello."

I halted, almost done with one of the fishes, noticing the ferret on the other side of the table. "Um... hi."

The ferret's sat on the opposite end of the table, staring straight into my eyes. "Are you Celdric the Wanderer? You must be, not many mice had black fur like you."

I looked quizzically into the ferret's purple eyes, "How do you know who I am?"

"Your sister told me."

My heart skipped a beat, "My sister? Lier."

"What makes you think that?"

"Because shes dead," I retorted

He raised his eyebrow, "Nope, alive as ever. Her name and title is Ceyana the Assassin now."

I don't know what I felt then, relief or intensification. My sister was good... she is no assassin. "I don't believe you."

The ferret laughed maniacally, "Well hell, I have no proof. She told me that you were a talented swords beast and I require your services ."

How would she know? She had not seen me since we were just kids. "Well I'm sorry. I don't take those kind of offers. I'm not like her or my parents."

"She told me you would say that. You see Celdric, you have no choice. I didn't want to have to tell you that, but if you don't accept my proposal, you die."

I swiftly grabbed a knife I had been using to cut open a fish and stood up ready to throw it at the ferret. "I won't fight."

He remained ever calm, repeating in a different sense "You have no choice."

"Yes I do, I'm not scared to endanger myself to save others," I aimed the knife at the ferret's head.

"Hear me out Celdric."

Hearing his proposal would not hurt, only executing it. I lowered my knife. "Fine."

The ferret took a drink of some blue wine from a golden goblet, his velvet eyes focused solely on me. " My name is... not important. You may call me whatever you like, since your not apart of my hoard. I respect beasts who can live on their own. Do please try to keep the name calling down, and be polite. I'll stop beating around the bush now, I want you to do a little something for me. You might or might not know, but you've traveled a long way since when you were knocked out. Your no longer in the Northlands, your far to the east, past the east sea, The whole time you were unconscious you were carried away from the snowy north, placed on a ship, traveled for a few days, and now we reside on an island, connected by a stone bridge to the eastern continent."

I cut in, "How did I manage to sleep through all of that?"

The Warlord smirked. " We fed you doses of sleeping potion, mixed with food and water."

That jell guard had utterly lied.

The Warlord wiped some grape juice from the bottom of his mouth. " Before I tell you what I want, I'll tell you your reward. A lot of gold and vittles, and a ship that leads back to the main continent."

I instantly knew the damn warlord had trapped me here on this continent, intentionally. I had heard many stories of the eastern continent. It was a very cruel place, fulled to the brim with war, both vermin and goodbeast. Specifically, I remember a squirrel telling me what defines vermin and goodbeast is also different here.

"However, there are few tasks I need done. First I want you to travel past the mountains, until you get to a town that goes by the name Peak. It's right past the path out of the mountains. There's a ferret there, my brother. He goes by Crimsonfur, because of the odd color of his fur. He's from a different mother, but rest assured he is my brother. Kill him. All he does is spend his days miserably at the inn there, getting drunk and talking about his famous heritage. He disgraces our family name so he must die."

I retorted, "I don't kill, not for money, not for pleasure, and especially not for a profession."

"You say that like its written in stone, but your past doesn't state so. I think we both know what your capable of."

I knew completely what he meant by that. My father was a great assassin, doing it seemingly for pleasure. "I'm not my father."

"Your you, I know what you've done."

"I've killed vermin like you, on... a sort of... contract yes." I stated.

"Than why not kill my brother?"

"Because he hasn't harmed me in anyway. I no longer kill others. I'm not my father, mother, or sister. I feel remorse, unlike them. No." I said flatly.

"Crimson has harmed others though. Killed, as I have. You can't kill me, I'm your ticket out of here. He is a killer and can you not kill one who will, without a doubt, kill again?"

I pondered what he offered. I could go along with him and just find another way off of the continent. It didn't take me long to come to the answer, "Yes."

"Good, your leaving within the hour. It's midday, so there should be no problem with your first day. I'll equip you with a weapon of your choice, a good pack of vittles, a map, and some copper to start you off."

"Sounds fair enough."

0o0o---

There I stood, such a small figure compared to the mountains that loomed ahead. Their snowy tips visible from where I stood. They were all packed tight, sort of like a beasts teeth, except they were gigantic monsters, not some small prickly things.

I saw a squirrel, carrying my supplies, approach me, addressing me as he edged close. " My warlord told me to tell you that your next assignment will be given to you in due time, later."

I nodded my head understandingly. " Must be a resourceful beast."

The squirrel laughed, "You wouldn't know."

"Nor would I care, let me be on my way." I said.

The squirrel shrugged and slowly returned to the fortress.

I felt unexpectedly light, carrying all of my equipment. I bore a light, white traveling habit with a gray rag strapped across my waist one would jokingly call a belt. In my gray belt, a small, new dirk, and my medium sized longsword with a black hilt, much to my flavor, were kept. My side strapped pack was irritating my shoulder so bad, but it must be kept as my food, and black habit were inside of it. A sleeping bag was adjacent to it.

Must of looked odd, me being black furred in this snowy territory, standing out like dirt on a while rag. Straight ahead of me, before the mountains, loomed a small forest. There were no leaves on the seemingly dead trees, but instead snow was precariously perched on the limbs. The mountains seemed to grab me, pull me closer to them. It felt like I was involuntarily moving towards the mountains, even though I knew full well my goal. I'm no killer, sure the son of one, but I don't have it in my blood to do a deed as vile and unforgiving as that. I had to warn the ferret, weather he was good or evil. It isn't right when life is destroyed. It's like killing history so to speak.

My poorly composed leather shoes made odd indentions in the snow as I walked along. Still weak from lack of food, I was sort of dragging my feet along, to where my trail looked as if it was a lone, traveling wheel, softly caressing the snow.

It was so different from the other continent, when I traveled near the town Noonvale you could hear nature taking place around you. The birds singing their ballads, the trees rusting in the wind as always, the serene feeling you get. However, here you get an uneasy feeling, nothing happening. Utter silence.

0o0o----

A redness beset the land, turning the white of the snow into a reflection of the setting sky itself. It was time to set camp. I didn't have to worry to much about firewood as there was an abundance of dead trees, littered around here and there. I took my sword and started chopping at a dead tree, which separated nicely. I was done in about ten minutes and made a fire, piling the wood parallel to it

I muttered to myself in clear satisfaction, "Didn't even break a sweat."

If this area got as cold as it did in the Snowy North, than I was in for a rough night. The fire crackled and popped as I laid my soft black sleeping bag down on the snowy ground. I laid in my sleepingbag and closed my eyelids.

"Get up! Time for breakfast, you don't want to keep dad waiting do you?"

My eyes crawly open, oblivious to everything except the annoying beasts noise, and my tired factor. " I don't wanna."

"Today begins your first step into responsibility! I had to do it last year, watching you snore soundly, and you have to do it now."

I groaned and forced myself out of bed. "Your enjoying this aren't you?"

My sister smirked, wearing a small white dress mom made here a few weeks back.. "More than you could imagine, you lazy bum."

I rubbed my eyes. What a strange dream. I couldn't remember much of it anymore. "Shut up Ceyana."

Ceyana seemed to of had enough of me and stormed out the door, I went after her. After I took the long trudge down the hallway to the kitchen, where my mother paced to and fro frantically until she caught sight of me. "Dammit Celdric, I don't believe I had to send your sister to get you. No breakfast today, march right outside. Your father is waiting."

"Morning to you too ma." I cracked.

My mother placed her hands on her hips and continued on her morning duties. She was never a morning person. Now that I think about it, I wasn't either.

Stepping out of the back door, I quickly spotted my dad. He was garbed in a black tunic, with cut sleeves, matching black pants. He sat upon a tree stump, staring at me as I walked near him, his dead eye upon me. His right eye had been injured, and now all that resides there is purely the milky white of his eye, with a small scar on his upper and lower eye socket. His other eye, however, still pertains it's uniqueness, being bright blue with golden spots all throughout it, but didn't reflect his personality at all.

"Son."

I stared feebly into his eyes. "Yes?"

"You were late, why?"

I grabbed hold of the white pants I was wearing, tightly, trying to find a good excuse. "I eh..um.. I.. didn't know...what to eh... wear."

He looked dully into me, both his dead eye and good eye seemingly studying me. He had never acted this way prior. " Do you know why your out here this early today Celdric?"

I answered, "Your going to teach me to be a fighting beast, like you. I really want too"

"Why?"

I made hand gestures to slashing, except with no sword. "I 'wanna kill vermin!"

"Have you even experienced any type of death? Have you seen a beast die right in front of you? Some beasts are not cut out to be a fighter. Your first test starts now, don't fail me," He took a dirk from behind him and handed it to me. It fit my size, me being small and all. I quickly trust it in between my belt and pants, eager to get on with my fathers bidding."West of here, out in these woods. There is the flowing river we know so much."

I nodded. "Aye, we used to go fishing there all of the time."

I continued to gaze at me, making me feel uneasy, as if he was utterly unmoved by what I had just said. "Yes, beyond that there is the cemetery of our ancestors. Upon my father's grave there sits the pommel to the dirk I gave you."

I took my dirk out of my pants and studied it, noticing the pommel was missing, just a small void filling the gap.

He instructed me further. "Get the pommel, place it into that dirk of yours, and return with the dirk. We shall see what to do with you after that."

Is that all he could muster, a simple find and take mission? I'm up for the job! "I'll return with it, no problem."

"You had better start now than, I want you back as soon as possible."

I saluted and started west, sprinting to the stream. My light breathing turned heavy when I had finally reached the small river. I stopped for a moment to view the sight, the crystal clear water that flowed elegantly through my village just a horizon away from here; the trout racing the water downhill, water winning of course. I shook my head and got back into zone.

There was an assortment of rocks spread about a foot length part leading from one side of the river to the other. Ceyana and I had taken the same route to the cemetery many times to play, a long time ago. With agility, I bounded past the rocks.

Feeling cocky, I laughed, proud of myself. "Didn't even break a sweat."

I dashed off in the direction of the cemetery, knowing full well I was going to accomplish my task. I ran into the cemetery, picking up the crudely built wooden gate as it was lopsided and stuck into the ground and opening it. The cemetery was always a place of gathering for my relatives. I had an abundance of them all spread around this part of the country. Strangely however, my part of the family were the only black furred ones.

Glancing about, I could not find my grandfather's grave. There was not a sight of the pommel much less the grave anywhere to be found.

All of the sudden, a blur flashed by my vision, accompanied by a whoosh of sound. I looked over to where the blur had gone. Two graves down an arrow protruded from the wooden marker of a timid grave and it took me less than a second to realize what had happened. I grabbed my dirk while looking around franticly for the beast who shot the arrow.

A voice came from behind me. "Look at the grave little brother."

I hopped in a half circle and found myself staring into my sister's eyes, right in front of me.

I stammered, "How did you.. you didn't... where did you.."

She placed her index finger onto my lip, with a look of hate tinged in her eyes. "Read the grave marker Celdric."

I nodded, slowly, and made my way to the marker. Once I got there I pulled the arrow out of the bottom of the cross as I read,

'Here lies the one who jokingly called me his son. He lies with redemption, a thing only a peaceful beast possesses. That means he is no father of mine.'

I tried to understand. Who would treat their father like that? "Ceyana what is this?" I inquired.

She closed her eyes, shaking her head left to right, and began to walk away.

"Ceyana, what in the world is this?" I persisted.

I tried to stand up, but some force was holding me down, containing me on the spot. I glanced down at my feet, gasping at what I saw. I was melting! My feet now a puddle of sticky ooze. "Sister! Help me!" I yelled at my retreating sister. My hands were becoming one with the wooden marker now, my black fur blending in with the brown wood.

"WHAT THE HELL!" I screamed.

"Noooo!" I jumped up, observing my surroundings. Snow and dead trees took place of the once lively woods.

"Just... a bad dream." I told myself. While sliding back into my little cot, I noticed just how sweaty I was. It was as cold as inside a frozen lake outside, and I was deliberately sweating.

0o0o---

The next time I awoke morning greeted me happily. I hastily conjured a fire to begin cooking my first meal on the expedition, Skilly N' Duff. My paws were literally shaking and was foaming at the mouth as I watched myself cook the heavenly concoction. It has always been my traveling food of choice, and had always made me look forward to the next day I planned to eat it. As soon as my masterpiece was done I doused the fire and began to consume the meal.

"Ee' seems to be enjoying it."

I stopped for a moment, raising a brow. I turned around two identical two white otters, of average build, wearing some of the ugliest gray and white rags I had ever seen. "May I help you two?"

They beast to the right unsheathed a small knife. "You can give us 'yer vittles, 'an.. just about everything else." The otter to the left simply shrugged.

I set my plate of Skill N' Duff down. "I'm sorry... friends, but since your talking in that manner I don't think you deserve my vittles."

The two otters looked at one another smiling wickedly, and nodded. They edged toward me, both had knives drawn now.

I can't believe this! Otters are obviously going to attack me, like a vermin would, for food! No other words passed between us after I took my sword out of my gray belt.

"Okay I see how it is..."


End file.
